I've seen students (in the South Bronx) trying to read while walking down stairs. While that is obviously a safety concern, I am thrilled to see that motivation! As read-alouds or as independent reading, these stories tickle their brains.

Writing for the adolescent species may seem completely daunting, but let's not kid ourselves. Or perhaps I should say, let's kid ourselves a bit more?

Remember being a kid? We could grin at a friend and start crafting fun out of anything. If you call math drills "math kung fu" and pull out a timer, then you might find the kids doing math with a smile. The Joy Factor.

Let's play. Tickle brains. Get dramatic.

Kids love power, right?. All kinds of power. Adolescents like power, too, but they also seem to like stories that are dipped in tragicomedy and end with some brand of heroic recognition.